Reviews

Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition by Buddy Levy

kelsbishop's review against another edition

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4.0

If you enjoyed The Wager by David Grann, then I would recommend this book.

Hard to imagine the journey for far north, in an unforgiving climate, with no sunlight for three months. I couldn’t anticipate what was going to happen next while the expedition waited for rescue. Greely had everything meticulously thought out, and then his decision to stick to the plan causes the expedition to unravel manically.

bjm1993's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional sad tense fast-paced

4.25

missrhinnan's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative sad tense slow-paced

3.5

rellimreads's review against another edition

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5.0

** Currently $3.99 on Chirp

3/31/2021:

I wish I could remember what book I read that mentioned the Greely Expedition &/or this book – unfortunately I can’t. Especially given how grateful I am to have experienced their story and this book in particular.

Buddy Levy has brought together a tremendous amount of research, helped considerably by the copious amounts of record the explorers themselves kept, to share the daring story of the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition. While a little over 13 hours, I was so engaged with this story I managed to finish it in two days. Levy manages to share details in such a way that I felt like I was on this voyage with them.

It’s disheartening to know that this expedition, to many, was reduced to unfounded accusations of cannibalism sensationalized by newspapers of the time. I learned so much about the time period, exploration, technology of the time, humanity, and the impact that this endeavor still has on science and our lives today. It was fascinating to learn about the preparation for such journeys, including the amount of supplies and the fact that they knew it could be months or even years before they were rescued.

I also appreciated that Levy brought a deep level of humanity to the experience. These men and their loved ones waiting for their return were people with families, fears, talents, flaws, and dreams. I was moved both by the loss of those who did not make it and the grief and elation of those who did.

Narration:
Will Damron’s narration was excellent. I appreciated his ability to bring the emotional depth and respect necessary to what were sometimes horrific conditions and events. His delivery made clear the differences between Levy’s text, quoted journal entries, and quotes from various participants of the expedition and its rescuers.

einnymydog's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging inspiring slow-paced

4.0

somesnarksareboojums's review against another edition

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dark informative sad slow-paced

4.0

I wish it talked more about what happened to the other survivors, and to the families of those who did not make it back. 

Narrator is sometimes overly dramatic. 

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rjdey's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

5.0

the_history_shelf's review against another edition

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5.0

My full review is posted at Open Letters Review here: https://openlettersreview.com/posts/labyrinth-of-ice-by-buddy-levy?rq=peggy%20kurkowski

believeinyou's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful informative inspiring sad slow-paced

4.0

a_beautiful_soup's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense

4.75